Do you Believe Media Has Influenced Modern Society and Continues to Influence It?

[nirtime]

So as the title asks, do you think modern day media such as the movie or "pop" music has an influence on the way youths are raised nowadays?

To begin with, I personally think the majority of popular music videos on youtube are just soft core versions of X-rated content. I mean, really, the majority of these videos have nothing positive in them. Then youths get caught up in the music and watch the videos and it doesn't do much. The lyrics themselves are nothing of substance. At the tender age of 12-13 which child won't be influenced by what they see in these videos? Which male child around this age won't start looking at girls differently without respect as portrayed in the videos? They don't know its not real.

Modern TV is not a lot better. The type of actions expressed in movies sometimes makes me wonder. Family members engaging in inappropriate gestures? Shoot to kill? Vengence? Surely it has less of an impact on older viewers but its the youth that need to be carefully considered.

What do you think? Am I biased? Do you think the opposite? Let me know.

 

[Shadowhunter]

I certainly agree. The media continues to be a big part of our lives because of all the good that comes out of it, but the bad should not be ignored. I watch lyric videos instead of music videos because I've found a lot of music videos are too sexualized or glamorize inappropriate behavior such as drugs and other crimes. Children of all ages are usually very impressionable and not only take in, but often project everything they see. It's not only music videos and lyrical content, but TV content as well. Looking back on some children's shows and music I watched and listened to as a child, I've been shocked at the sexual innuendos I can now identify. Ads are another story. Why make specific children's channels if ads with adult content are showing in between? You can decide not to watch TV or listen to certain types of music in your own home, but you can't unsee or unhear what's going on outside i.e. music playing from cars outside, giant poster ads in store windows, etc.

 

[nirtime]

Indeed, parents also cannot monitor children's media 24/7 to know when to change a channel or what not. It makes little sense to have a channel specifically for airing of content aimed at kids if adult ads are displayed.

I also look at the lyrical versions of music videos rather than the "VEVO" version. Its true, children are very impressionable at all ages and so without thinking about it, they will more or less want to reenact what they see. I think this is largely related to the insolence of children these days. Of course there are other factors as well but granted the amount of emphasis and importance placed on media, I think it certainly plays a key role in what the future generation will be.


Let's not forget the good side as you mentioned, sure there are many many benefits to media especially social media where information is shared through the grape vine effortlessly. However, much of this information must be carefully considered as it may not be 100% accurate. The good thing with this form of media is that many official bodies have pages and profiles where you can get information easily that may not even be found on local news in such depth so it is a very good thing to have but it requires careful moderation to really be able to tell the official truth from other's educated/pure guesses.

 

[Shadowhunter]

I like the information and support aspect. I would have been oblivious to certain health conditions if it wasn't for the media, and I've gotten loads of information to help deal with such things from the media, especially online. I think if more companies would use the media to send out important messages it could impact society in a really big positive way, but as LadyD said in another thread, "sex sells" and TBH, that is what we see in most ads. The media does have the power to sway people in certain directions and we see this regularly in popular court cases, for example. It could be used in much better ways, but many corporations would be hesitant to spread non-profit messages.

 

[Lorenzo]

Agreed. They promoting degeneracy in almost all forms of mainstream media. When a younger group of children see an older group listening to a certain type of music they get influenced by it easily thinking that it's good. I was made fun of for listening to classical music (J.S. Bach) a couple years ago. I told them look at where the people who listen to the type of music you listen to are and look at where the people who listen to this type of music are. Every man get quiet.

Besides that, TV is slowly turning into porn, in a couple of years we may as well have full scenes airing on local networks. In most cases these scenes have no place in the movie/TV show where it could be easily implied(i.e. 2 characters eating breakfast vaguely saying "last night was good" or some other cheesy line). Keeping it vague so younger audiences may not understand while the older ones get the joke. The real problem is that the youth of today has easy access to this material.

The media has lied to us left. right and centre. Even the news is pre filtered. They're hiding a lot of information from us. For example, I had an aunt who used to work at the ER in POS General Hospital and she said a lot of people who died on arrival were murdered (stab wounds, bullet wounds, beaten with a blunt object) and it never made the news.

We need to wake up and become one as a country and share information amongst ourselves as people of this country because there's a lot happening and most of us are in the dark about it.

 

[nirtime]

Yeah, gonna side with Lorenzo on what he has said. Often times news comprises of some sort of bias. Its hard to find unbiased information which lets you judge for yourself. Often times a lot of serious news isn't reported either because it won't be a "big hit".

Irrespective of what information is passed via media, it often requires validation as I've learned. A lot of the times too because powerful and motivational quotes are so abundant, people do not ever understand the true power of the spoken word.

I won't discredit neither approve of online resources for health but rather leave that up to the discretion of the user as I have seen people misdiagnose themselves believing they had a minor problem and if they had not gone to a doctor, within 12 months they would have been history. At the same time, I've seen others, myself included, who read and consider all angles but don't make the final judgement, I usually take it to a doctor afterwards but keep myself armed with the knowledge from online to see whether or not i'm being extorted or whether the doctor is actually being truthful with me.

Not going to disagree on any basis, large corporations have the power to make a significant impact on life. Be it from a marketing perspective or an influential perspective. Positivity is what we need more off and its what isn't sold by most places. LadyDeath is definitely right when she said that "sex sells" as that is what has become the ideology for many young people these days. Just take a browse through Facebook and see how many scantly clad young girls pose for profile pics and see how many young boys also like and comment on the photos. Without much consideration, the same can be said about several older folks as well. Not as common but it still exists none the less.

I've also noticed a tendency of locals to discredit any effort to be a change as they rather buy into American ideologies which is a far cry from the value laden society that we should be striving toward.

It is my opinion that media has a direct impact on the current, short term and long term future society as cultural elements will continue to become modernized, or rather, Americanized or Europeanized due to the youth of today and tomorrow following what they see in media rather than following the good examples of yesterday.

 

[Shadowhunter]

I was taught not to consider anything a fact until you have three non-profiting sources, and even so, to still tread carefully. The media is a heavily profitable business and must be filtered accordingly to maintain those profits and resulting popularity. Even stories that are based on fact can be portrayed from biased angles to influence others. There is a great deal of censorship that goes on to achieve and maintain the illusion of being well-liked and accepted because as we know, popularity sways the masses and for the media, popularity is usually directly proportional to profit. Not to mention the possibilities of certain individuals or corporations being in someone's proverbial back pocket. I'm sure you can guess how that affects what makes it to news.


With regards to health, I use sources as second and third opinions as well as to find natural alternatives eg natural sources of vitamin C as opposed to adding a couple supplements to my diet again. I grew up in a family that depended heavily on meat, wheat, and dairy and thanks to the internet I've found alternative recipes to suit my preferences and dietary needs over the years without feeling like I had no choice but to indulge in such ingredients. Of all the health professionals I've met, only a dietitian gave me recipes and while her advice positively impacted my diet and cooking, after awhile I needed more lol